Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Street Hawk, the sole backmarker off 20 metres and a hot $1.70 favourite, gave his driver Deni Roberts many anxious moments before he charged home from third at the 100m to snatch a last-stride victory by a head over $5 chance Lucapelo in the 2503m Nova’s Fresh Country Handicap at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“I didn’t think he was going to pick them up,” said a relieved Roberts. “He took a lot of asking and left it until the very last second. But it was a good run. He has been racing in stands recently, and I think we will switch him back to mobiles to make sure he doesn’t get into too much of a pattern.”
Street Hawk, a Bettors Delight five-year-old, has been an excellent performer for champion trainers Greg and Skye Bond, and he now has a splendid record of 35 starts for twelve wins, ten seconds and three thirds for stakes of $191,216.
Lucapelo, who enjoyed an ideal passage in the one-out, one-back position, was sent to the front by Gary Hall Jnr with 450m to travel. This extended the Michael Young-trained four-year-old’s losing sequence to 16. He is racing with admirable verve and will pay to follow.